Letters to the Editor: Time to end Texaco’s art competition for children

One reader proposes an alternative art contest, while others consider issues including the environmental impact of tourism, the 1973 coup in Chile, the League of Ireland, and the TV licence

One reader challenges Texaco's association with a children's art competition which he says has become a 'greenwashing' exercise. Picture: Lewis Whyld/PA

“Now more than ever it is important that all members of our society, particularly our young people, have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of global development. The support offered by principals and teachers in encouraging the global perspective among their students is to be acknowledged and applauded. Also, the focus by Just Forests on the curriculum, at primary and post-primary level, will ensure that the message on sustainable development has relevance for our education system and has a lasting impact.”

— Micheál Martin at the official
opening of Just Forests’ Wood of
Life Exhibition, January 2010,
Bishopstown Public Library, Cork City

The Department of Education, boards of management, school principals, teachers, subject associations, teacher unions, non-governmental organisations, along with a host of past advocates, past participants and winners, including former government minister Ruairi Quinn, have remained silent on Texaco’s sponsorship of the longest running children’s art competition in Ireland.

The entrenchment of fossil fuel agendas and perspectives across Irish society remains significantly unchallenged even in contexts where the topic of climate change is actively discussed and engaged with. The National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development in Ireland (2018) was one of the Irish government’s key strategies for ‘Education for Sustainability’ underpinning the Action Plan for Education (2016). In the former, the word ‘green’ gets 42 mentions.

Side-by-side with the green rhetoric sits the Texaco Children’s Art Competition. Pupils and students are expected to uncritically engage with the green school agenda and the Texaco agenda. This incongruous synchronicity directly challenges some of the key recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss (2023).

Just Forests creates awareness of the significant role forests play in our economic, social, environmental, and cultural lives since its founding in 1989. As a member of the Irish Development Education Association (IDEA), Just Forests has delivered over 300 workshops to primary and secondary school pupils through our very popular Wood of Life hands-on exhibition. Just Forests also produced Thinking TREES, a resource for primary schools.

The Citizens’ Assembly concluded that ‘children and young people are integral to ensuring the environment is protected’.

Recommendation 62 called on all involved in education — the Department of Education, Teaching Council, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, and the Teacher Education Support Service(s) — “to engage in meaningful curriculum reform and teacher education to explicitly incorporate teaching and learning on biodiversity in early childhood, primary and post-primary curricula”.

Recommendation 64 stated: “School grounds and local public amenities need to be developed as a support to a diverse and meaningful nature education. In line with this, basic biodiversity training for school staff, including maintenance and grounds staff, should be rolled out on a national basis.”

Meanwhile Recommendation 65 stated: “The Green Schools Initiative should be reformed to ensure nature and biodiversity feature in the initial stages of the programme.”

Few cultural institutions have challenged Texaco’s association with a children’s art competition. Fewer still members of the media.

Just Forests is in talks with a number of very enthusiastic people about the possibility of initiating a new children’s art competition entitled ‘Just Artists — The Alternative Children’s Art Competition’. This will be a pilot project.

Basically what is involved is that a small number of schools will take part in the pilot project. The fundamental pre-requisite of participating schools is that they will not take part in the Texaco Children’s Art Competition but instead will commit to the principles and objectives of Just Artists — The Alternative Children’s Art Competition.

The Texaco Children’s Art Competition has become a major greenwashing exercise for Texaco’s appalling human rights abuses specifically against communities in the Ecuadorian rainforest. 

Just Artists — the Alternative Children’s Art Competition will engage with schools in empowering real and tangible change and wellbeing for all our children. The theme for this pilot project will be: Nature for our Wellbeing.

Tom Roche, Just Forests, Rhode, Co Offaly 

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1973 coup in Chile still relevant today

The Irish media did not see fit to comment on the 50th anniversary (on September 11) of the 1973 military coup in Chile that overthrew the democratically elected Popular Unity government led by president Salvador Allende. 

Women's rights activists at a 50th anniversary vigil in Santiago for the victims of Augusto Pinochet's regime which seized power in Chile on September 11, 1973. Picture: Esteban Felix/AP

This tragic event crushed the hopes of millions of ordinary Chileans for an equitable society, and set in motion a terror that would claim thousands of lives at the hands of general Pinochet’s violent dictatorship.

Since the restoration of democracy in Chile, numerous trials have resulted in convictions and jail terms for murder and human rights abuses. However, Pinochet’s death in 2006 meant the former dictator never had to answer in court for his crimes. And though Henry Kissinger was clearly implicated in the coup, he remains at large.

The coup in Chile continues to be relevant. It raised the question of whether attempts to create socialist societies in other parts of the world might meet with the same fate. This remains an open question.

Dominic Carroll, Ardfield, Co Cork

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Miracle man Kenny

Come what may, one reader says he will always be grateful to Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny for his achievements as Dundalk FC's boss. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Whatever the future holds for Stephen Kenny, I will always be grateful as a Dundalk supporter for the excellent work, indeed miracle, he performed at Oriel Park. 

Hump the begrudgers Stephen, keep the head up and of course “come on the Town”.

Tom Gilsenan, Dublin 9

Venice tourist tax

There is likely to be a charge to visit Venice from 2024 onwards, although a €5 fee is minimal for such a beautiful place, and it will bring some financial support to help the city to stay afloat, literally.

Venice is, as most people know, facing a crisis because of the rising waters, although ironically the canals ran dry in February because of the severe weather conditions. There is also the problem of overcrowding — as anyone who has visited St Mark’s Square will be only too aware of.

Sometimes you can appreciate the beauty of a site without a risk of harming it. Climbing the Pyramids in Egypt had been discouraged and then banned for a long time, and in Australia, climbing Uluru has been banned for cultural reasons, as well as being dangerous to climb

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

FF needs a prayer

The picture Mencken created by his observation on philosophers came to mind when reading reports on Fianna Fáil’s pursuit of truth and wisdom at its ‘think-in’. Mencken observed that philosophers are people with low vision in a dark room looking for a black cat that might not even be there.

Given its repeated failures to find solutions to the many problems that endure and its static standing in the polls, may I suggest Fianna Fáil stops with the philosophising and seeks instead the aid of a theologian. 

In the absence of inspiration, all that is left is desperation.

Jim O’Sullivan, Rathedmond, Sligo

TV licence evasion

Many people haven’t paid their TV licence fee for a number of years, yet this didn’t impede RTÉ’s secret payments.

RTÉ is now waving the begging bowl, claiming its ‘quality programming’ will suffer if people don’t pay licence fees. RTÉ hasn’t been a quality broadcaster for a long time anyway.

Criminalising low-income people for not paying a licence, while there’s no mention of punishment for RTÉ, is beyond sickening.

Florence Craven, Bracknagh, Co Offaly